Five hundred Queenslanders will have the opportunity to be the first to walk the Neville Bonner Bridge with a ticket registration opening to the public on Monday 28 August, 2023 at 7am.
The 500 lucky ticketholders will get a sneak peek of the Brisbane River centrepiece and walk to the Lookout at the halfway mark of the 320m bridge, on the morning of Saturday 2 September, ahead of the Brisbane Festival opening night Riverfire spectacular.
The Neville Bonner Bridge, named in honour of Australia’s first federal Indigenous parliamentarian, touched down at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane on 27 February 2023 after two years of construction, completing the cross-river connection with South Bank and linking the city’s two largest lifestyle precincts.
The bridge is currently an exclusion zone at the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane end but will open fully as part of the $3.6b tourism precinct’s planned phased launch next April.
The striking bridge mast peaking at more than 75 metres above the river – the same height as the Story Bridge – was lit up for the first time on Wednesday 16 August for the Matildas’ FIFA World Cup semi-final appearance.
Once open, the pedestrian-only bridge will link South Bank to the dining and retail level of the new Queen’s Wharf entertainment and tourism resort with escalators and lifts through to William and George Streets.
It’s expected there will be 10,000 pedestrian crossings a day when the bridge opens to the public in 2024.
Quotes to be attributed to The Star Entertainment Group CEO I Managing Director Robbie Cooke:
“We are delighted to invite the public of Queensland to be part of this special opportunity to be among the first to experience the Neville Bonner Bridge.”
“The 320-metre super structure has already become a beacon for Brisbane celebrations.
“Lighting up the bridge for the Matildas’ two World Cup finals matches highlighted the cross-river connectivity between the two entertainment and community hubs each side of the Brisbane River.”
“The Star Brisbane and Queen’s Wharf are also proud to be part of the Brisbane Festival opening extravaganza providing the backdrop for the world-first Nieergoo – Spirit of the Whale drone show supporting First Nations and local artistry, so it’s perfect timing to offer this first experience on the bridge to the people of Brisbane.”
“While it may not be of the scale of a Taylor Swift concert, tickets will be popular for this first walk over so my advice is to get in quick.”
Quotes to be attributed to Acting Premier Steven Miles:
“Around 500 lucky Queenslanders will get the chance to be among the first to walk on the bridge and enjoy the view from the deck.”
“Although it has reached construction completion, ongoing works at the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane end mean that it can’t be opened for good – yet.
“But after the excitement of seeing the bridge lit up in green and gold in honour of the Matildas World Cup quarter and semi-final appearances, we wanted to be able to show off more of it.”
“When open, the Neville Bonner pedestrian bridge will provide a vital link connecting the iconic South Bank precinct with the new Queen’s Wharf. Both will employ, house, and entertain thousands of people in the lead up to 2032 and beyond.”
“The Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development will change the face of Brisbane’s CBD. It is supporting thousands of construction jobs and will support thousands more in hospitality and tourism when it opens.”
Ticket Information:
You can register for tickets by going to the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane website.
Or at the below link:
Neville Bonner Bridge | Experience Day Tickets, Sat 02/09/2023 at 10:00 am | Eventbrite
- Tickets will be released to the public from 7am on Monday 28 August and available to the first 500 people to register
- A maximum of four tickets per person
- Pedestrian-only access including prams and wheelchairs
- The bridge walk will take place between 10am and 12 noon on Saturday 2 September 2023
- There will be extensive road closures ahead of Brisbane Festival opening night so ticketholders are advised to check the best way to access the bridge event if successfully registered
Neville Bonner Bridge Fast Facts
Design: Grimshaw/WSP
Builder: Fitzgerald Constructions
- • Permanent steelwork – 1000tonnes (superstructure and bridge deck)
- • Temporary steelwork – 900tonnes (including temp piles)
- • Concrete – 2750m3 insitu concrete, 550m3 precast concrete
- • Overall height of the mast – 77m above mean sea level
- • Total length of multi-stranded suspension cables – 1,200m
- • Total length of strands within the cables – 22,700m
- • Stairs and DA compliant ramp at South Bank landing
- • Connects to restaurant and retail on Level 4 of the resort with escalators/lifts to William and George Streets
For more information:
Karryn Wheelans Head of Media, The Star Entertainment Group +61 431 151 009
Graham Witherspoon, Stakeholder & Communications Manager, Destination Brisbane Consortium, .